Method of manufacturing bricks, tiles, cobblestones and the like directly on the gorund to be covered



Oct. 22, 1968 B. BOWMAN 3,406,618

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING BRICKS TILES COBBLESTONES AND THE LIKE DIRECTLY ON THE GROUND TO BE COVERED Filed Aug. 3, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VE N TOR A T TORNE Y.

3,406,618 BLESTONES E COVERED B. BOWMAN Oct. 22, 1968 METHOD OF MANUFACTURING BRICKS TILES COB AND THE LIKE} DIRECTLY ON THE GROUND TO B Filed Aug. 3, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 ML; 1F if if JHF J II If [Jkli //V VE/V TOR BRADSHAW B0 WMA/V A 7' TORNE Y United States Patent 3,406,618 METHOD OF MANUFACTURING BRICKS, TILES, COBBLESTONES AND THE LIKE DIRECTLY ON THE GROUND TO BE COVERED Bradshaw Bowman, 41 Laurel Drive, Carmel Valley, Calif. 93924 Filed Aug. 3, 1965, Ser. No. 476,849 6 Claims. (Cl. 94-24) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In the making of bricks, tiles or cobblestones on the ground to be covered, after a cement slab is formed, powdered absorbent coloring agent is broadcast and bullfloated so as to harden the top surface to at least the same plasticity as the plasticity of the body of the slab deep below the surface; then forming blades are driven in predetermined pattern by walking tools deep into the concrete slab while the slab is still plastic; the walking tools consist of a plurality of blades on the bottom of a grid platform arranged in the pattern to simulate bricks, tiles or cobblestones; the blades are of a height corresponding to the average thickness of such bricks, tiles or cobblestones and the grid is adapted to be suitably pounded by workmen; each blade terminates in a steep V-shaped penetrating edge of such angle as to squeeze some moisture from the concrete adjacent the blade surfaces thereby to prevent the sticking of concrete to the sides of the blade; one end and one side of each walking tool is formed by such blade and each such side and end blade has fillets of V-shaped cross-section contiguous with the V-shaped tips of the respective intersecting blades thereby to form continuous grooves.

Previously, floors, patios, walks and other surfaces, indoors or outdoors, usually were surfaced or covered by laying individual bricks, tiles or cobblestones, whenever that type of surface was desired. This involved considerable manual labor and costly materials and altogether was too cumbersome and expensive. These previous products did not lend themselves to desirable coloring inasmuch as they were very much confined in range of colors. The products required a very strong foundation or base so that individual bricks, tiles or cobblestones Would not shift or settle under load or when exposed to weather.

The herein method provides for manufacturing brick, tile or cobblestones directly on the ground to be covered in any suitable or desired shape or pattern, providing much stronger bricks or tiles than the previous conventional articles, also providing articles which are less porous than the clay tiles or bricks or the like heretofore made.

The outstanding characteristics of the herein method are the hardening of the surface of the poured concrete before the body of the concrete is set so as to prematurely harden the exposed surface of the poured concrete at least to the same plasticity as that of the portion of the poured concrete between the bottom layer and the top area of the poured concrete; this is accomplished by a critical mixture of the concrete poured and by the method of finishing the surface wherein the dry color or powdered topping is utilized to absorb moisture, thereby to color and harden or set the top surface prematurely, namely before the body of the poured concrete takes its initial set, and thereby providing plasticity down to the bottom layer of the poured concrete body; then penetrating by pressure perpendicularly to the surface of the concrete the entire plastic portion of the concrete in a predetermined pattern and depth to define sharp outline of the brick or tile or a desired bulge or depression for simulat- 3,406,618 Patented Oct. 22, 1968 ice ing cobblestones; the result being sharply outlined edges and sides of the individual brick, tile or cobblestones and by reason of the squeezing action of the penetrating tool a residue in the form of a slightly roughened surface to which the mortar readily adheres.

Another object of the invention is to provide in the manufacturing of bricks, tiles and cobblestones on the ground to be covered, the step for driving a forming tool into the plastic cement body at such an angle and with such force that it squeezes moisture out of the adjacent contacting surfaces of the plastic concrete and thereby lubricates the tool to permit perpendicular withdrawal of the penetrating tool without the adhesion of any of the plastic concrete to the sides of the tool.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tool for manufacturing brick, tile or cobblestones on the ground to be covered, which tool is adapted for use in registering sequences so as to result in a continued pattern, and which tool is adapted to support the workman and to facilitate the driving of the penetrating blades of the tool into the plastic part of the concrete body.

I am aware that some changes may be made in the general arrangements and combinations of the several de vices and parts, as well as in the details of the construction thereof without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the following specification, and as defined in the following claims; hence I do not limit my invention to the exact arrangements and combinations of the said device and parts as described in the said specification, nor do I confine myself to the exact details of the construction of the said parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be made manifest in the following detailed description, reference is had to the accompanying drawings for the illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective diagrammatic view illustrating the pouring of the concrete into a confined area on the ground to be covered.

FIG. 2 illustrates the so-called bull-floating of the concrete.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the coloring step.

FIG. 4 shows the step of spreading and smoothing or bull-floating the color.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the troweling of the surface.

FIG. 6 illustrates thebeginning of the making of the tiles or bricks by forcing the separating tools into the still plastic cement.

FIG. 7 shows the continuation of the process of making tiles or bricks by the tools.

FIG. 8 illustrates the spreading of mortar on the surface so as to fill the spaces or joints.

FIG. 9 illustrates the finishing of the surface so as to remove surplus mortar from the surface.

FIG. 10 is a fragmental cross-sectional view of the finished cement body showing the mortar between the bricks.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the tool for making the tiles and bricks.

FIG. 12 is a side view of the tool.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view of a blade, the'section being taken on lines 1313 of FIG. 11.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of one of the closing blades.

FIG. 15 is a fragmental sectional view of a closing blade and the fillet thereon.

For the manufacturing of bricks, tiles or cobblestones on the ground to be covered, it is necessary to provide a concrete mix which is critical for obtaining the sharp outline and configuration desired. The mixture should be a four to one ratio of sand and cement with the aggregate not to exceed one-fourth of an inch. A concrete mix of these proportions, with water for a controlled slump to provide for the evaporation factor of the locality, produces a concrete of necessary compression strength for this method and product.

After the concrete 1 is poured from a cement mixer 2 or the like on the ground 3 in the area defined by the usual screeds 4, then the concrete is leveled or rodded off by a suitable rod 5 in the usual manner as shown in FIG. 1.

The concrete hardens first at its bottom layer and it is softest at its top layer. The concrete is bull-floated by a wooden float 6, as shown in FIG. 2, sufficiently to bring the finer particles of the plastic cement to the surface. This bull-floating is performed with dispatch and while the concrete is still plastic.

Then dry coloring powder or dust 7 is hand-cast over the bull-floated surface, as shown in FIG. 3. This dry coloring powder usually contains fine sand, fine cement and a mineral pigment. Sometimes a suitable hardening agent in powdered form is also added. Then the surface is again bull-floated by a long handled float 6, as shown in FIG. 4, and these steps are repeated at least three or more times with suflicient dispatch to complete this bullfloating before the initial setting of the concrete and while the body of the concrete is still in a very plastic stage. This addition of powdered color topping is continued until the top surface is hardened to at least the same plasticity as the rest of the body of the concrete.

Then the final texture is formed on the surface by the usual steel trowel 8 as shown in FIG. 5. This is performed at the stage when the plasticity of the concrete is sulficiently hard or set to permit the use of a knee board for this final troweling.

The general plattern of the bricks, tiles or cobblestones and the direction of the patern is predetermined according to their desired relation to adjacent wall surfaces or boundaries. While the concrete is still plastic, the workman places two or more malking tools with their penetrating blades aligned according to the proposed pattern on the surface of the concrete wherever the patern is to begin.

The tools 9 are of the type shown in FIGS. 11, 12 and 13 and are, as hereinafter described, so constructed that they are interchangeable and include a grid top platform through which the workman can observe the formation under the platform and which is also of sufficient Strength to support the workman standing thereon. Under the platform are a plurality of blades, as hereinafter described, capable of being driven into the plastic concrete body by suitably weighted implements. These tools 9 are interchangeable so that they can be placed in aligned position for continuous formation of bricks, tiles or cobblestones without any interposed bulk concrete. The workman starts a corner, for instance, as illustrated in FIG. 6, and continues with several such tools, stepping from one to the other and then lifting the tool perpendicularly from the finished bricks, tiles or cobblestones and replacing the tool over an unfinished portion of the concrete surface in contiguous sequence as as shown in FIG. 7.

After indiivdual bricks, tiles or cobblestones are so made over a given area, the bricks, tiles or cobblestones so formed are allowed to set to a sulficient dryness of the surface to permit the application of wax. A wax sealer is brushed on the exposed surfaces of the bricks, tiles or cobblestones in such a manner as to prevent the filling of the spaces between the bricks, tiles or cobblestones.

After the wax dries then the joints or spaces between the manufactured bricks, tiles or cobblestones are grouted by suitable mortar. It is preferable that a two to one mixture of sand and cement be utilized in such plasticity that it can be spread over the surfaces by a sequeegee 11 as shown in FIG. 8.

The spurplus grout is removed from the exposed surface of the bricks, tiles or cobblestones by dragging wet sacks 12 over the surface, as shown in FIG. 9. This is greatly facilitated by the prior waxing of the surface. By repeated rinsing and dragging of the sacks all the surplus mortar is removed from the waxed surface and the grout remains in the spaces between the individual bricks, tiles or cobblestones. Because of the rich mixture and the small area in the spaces between the bricks, tiles and cobblestones, the grout sets up comparatively quickly; furthermore the cement by this time is highly absorbent and absorbs some of the moisture from the group which accelerates the setting of the grout. Therefore, by the time the surplus grout is wiped off the waxed surfaces, the grout in the spaces is set.

Finally the waxed surface is polished by a fine brush which removes any residual dust or grout from the waxed surface.

The resultant structures shown in FIG. 10 are individual separate bricks, tiles or cobblestones 13, with a colored top layer 14 on the top surface and mortor 15 between the adjacent individual bricks, tiles or cobblestones, all connected by a base layer 16. The depth of the impression by the blades of the tools 9 is predetermined in accordance with whether a bricks or tile or cobblestone or the like is manufactured, for instance as shown in FIG. 10, the spaces are of sufficient depth to form sidewalls 17 at about the same height as the height of a brick. Suitable 'proportioning is used for forming tiles or cobblestones.

The tool as illustrated in FIGS. 11, 12, 13 and 14 has a walking and stamping surface in the form of a grid 21 which forms a frame with one closed side 22 and one closed end 23. The other sides of the grid are unobstructed. On the top of the grid 21 there are a plurality of buttons or striking enlargements 24 arranged in such a manner that the workman, by striking them in sequence, will depress the tool into the plastic cement uniformly. From the bottom of the grid 21 extend a plurality of blades 25 arranged in the desired pattern and shaped according to whether bricks, tiles or cobblestones are to be made. The blades 25 extend transversely of the grid 21 and parallel with the closed end 23 in the illustration shown in FIG. 11, and longitudinal blades 26 extend parallel with the side 22 and intersect the blades 25. These striking enlargements 24 are formed above the intersections of the blades and above the respective blades to transmit driving impact force to the blades directly. The closed side 22 and the closed end 23 are also formed as blades. The striking buttons 24 are located on top of the respective blades to exert driving force perpendicularly on the respective blades.

A handle 27 extends upwardly from the top of the grid 21. This handle 27 is offset from the longitudinal center line of the grid in proportion to the increased weight on one side of the grid 21 on account of the bar forming the closed side 22 so that the handle 27 extends generally above the center of gravity of the tool thereby assuring that the tool is lifted substantially level when it is removed from the spaces produced by it and when it is replaced on an adjacent unfinished part of the cement surface. The handle 27 in the form shown in FIG. 11 is generally 'U-shaped and is suitably secured at its ends to the top of the grid 21.

The grid 21 and the blades 22, 23, 25 and 26 are made of substantial strength so as to Withstand the weight of the Workman and the intensity of the driving of the blades into the plastic cement, yet they must be sufficiently light for the workman to lift for manipulation. The sides of the individual blades as shown in FIG. 13 taper downwardly and terminate in a steeper point 28 of generally V-shaped cross-section.

In order to obtain the desired bulge in making cobblestones, the cross-sectional shape of each blade is such that the taper or incline of each side 29 when driven into the plastic concrete forces the concrete upward and toward the next adjacent blade in such a manneras to bulge the top of the separated surface into the shape of a cobblestone surface.

In operation the workman stands on the grid 21 of one tool 9 and pounds on the driving buttons 24 so as to drive the blades 22, 23, 25 and 26 into the plastic concrete. After one of the tools 9 is driven into the concrete he places another tool 9 in alignment with the blades of the first tool in continuity and then steps on a grid 21 of the next tool 9 and drives it into the cement. For proper alignment preferably a third tool 9 is placed in position and the worker ultimately works with at least three tools 9 in a group. The tool 9 is removed immediately after it was driven into the concrete so as to lessen the possibility of adherence of the concrete to the sides of the blades. In placing the tools side by side the workman places the tools so that the closed edge or side of one tool is in registry with the correpsonding open side of the tool on which the workman stands. This improves alignment or registering of the blades for the desired pattern. For more accurate alignment at the beginning of the operation, a sufiicient number of tools are placed on the concrete surface in a line to substantially cover the width of the defined area and one of the tools is placed in line with one of the end tools in the other direction. This facilitates the aligning of the tools as the workman in sequence drives and shifts the respective tools.

It is to be noted that as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 the blades which form the closed sides or ends are provided on their outside faces with fillets 30 at spaced intervals corresponding to the spacing of the respective intersecting blades 25. Each fillet 30 is formed into a converging point, symmetrically with the points 28 of the intersecting blade 25. The outside face 31 of each fillet 30 is in continuation of the adjacent face of the closed side 22 or end 23 respectively, so that when the open end of a blade 25 or 26 of another tool 9 is placed against it, the penetrating points 28 are contiguous from one tool 9 to the next tool 9 without any bulk of concrete between the adjacent ends of the blades.

The shape and angles of incline of the sides 29 of the penetrating blades 25 and 26 are formed as to cause variation of the surface plane of the individual bricks, tiles, or cobblestones, thereby giving the appearance of individually laid bricks, tiles, or cobblestones or the like.

I claim:

1. In a method of manufacturing bricks, tiles, cobblestones and the like on the ground to be covered, the steps of (a) forming a concrete slab on the ground,

(b) before the initial setting of the concrete of said slab hardening the top surface of the concrete slab at least to about the same plasticity as the plasticity of the body of the slab below the top surface, by repeatedly bull-floating the top of the concrete slab while in a very plastic state, thereby to bring the finest particles to the top surface, and alternately broadcasting powdered cementious absorbent coloring agent comprising fine sand, fine cement, and mineral pigment over said bull-floated top surface,

(c) driving forming blades in a predetermined pattern conforming to the shape of the individual bricks, tiles and cobblestones, generally perpendicularly into the concrete slab to a predetermined depth corresponding to the height of the bricks, tiles and cobblestones while the concrete slab is still in plastic condition,

(d) immediately upon the completion of the penetration of said blades withdrawing the blades from said concrete slab.

2. In a method of manufacturing bricks, tiles, cobblestones and the like as recited in claim 1 and (e) shaping said forming blades with different inclinations to produce the appearance of individually laid bricks, tiles and cobblestones.

3. In a method of manufacturing bricks, tiles, cobblestones and the like on the ground to be covered, the steps of (a) forming concrete by mixing sand and cement in 4 to 1 ratio with aggregates not to exceed /4" size with water according to evaporation conditions at said ground,

(b) pouring the concrete over the ground to be covered in a confined area,

(c) spreading the poured concrete over the confined area into a slab,

(d) bull-floating the concrete slab before the initial setting thereof while in a very plastic state so as.to bring the finest particles to the top surface,

(e) broadcasting powdered cementious absorbent coloring agent comprising fine sand, fine cement, and mineral pigment over said bull-floated top surface,

(f) repeating the bull-floating and broadcasting steps until the top surface is hardened at least to about the same plasticity as the plasticity of the body of the slab below said surface,

(g) trowel finishing the hardened surface,

(h) driving forming blades perpendicularly into the concrete slab in predetermined pattern by walking tools supporting the workman and by applying impact force to spaced areas of the tool above the prearranged blades thereby to penetrate said slab to a depth spaced from the bottom of the slab, while the plasticity of the body of said concrete slab corresponds to about 250 to 450 psi. penetrometer reading, thereby to squeeze moisture from the concrete adjacent the penetrating blade surfaces and to prevent sticking of concrete to the blades,

(i) raising the tool to withdraw the blades perpendicularly from spaces between the separated concrete portions immediately after complete penetration,

(j) repeatedly driving and withdrawing the blades of tools in continguous squence until a required area is completed,

(k) waxing the surface of the individual separated concrete surfaces,

(1) introducing mortar into the spaces between said individual separated surfaces,

(m) and cleaning and polishing the separated surfaces.

4. A walking tool for manufacturing bricks, tiles, cobblestones and the like on the ground to be covered, comprising (a) a grid platform capable of supporting the weight of the workman,

(b) a plurality of blades extended from said grid platform,

(c) the said blades being arranged in a pattern to predetermine the outline and arrangement of the bricks, tiles and cobblestones to be formed and being of a height corresponding to the thickness of said bricks, tiles and cobblestones respectively,

(d) enlarged striking areas formed on said grid platform over the intersections of said blades and over said blades to transmit driving impact to the blades,

(e) the opposite sides of each blade being inclined to converge toward the penetrating edges of the blades, said edges being shaped generally in V-shaped crosssection,

(f) a blade forming one closed side and an intersecting blade forming one closed end of each tool, the other side and end of each tool being open,

(g) spaced fillets provided on the outside face of the blades on the closed side and closed end of the tool in registry with the blades intersecting the inside of said blades at the closed end and closed side, said fillets complementing the exposed sides of said closing blades cross-sectionally opposite the respective intersections and being shaped to form a penetrating edge contiguous with the respective intersecting blades and with blades on the open side and end of an adjacent symmetrical walking tool corresponding to said intersecting blades.

5. The invention defined in claim 4 and (h) handle means on said grid platform for raising and lowering said tool perpendicularly with respect to said grid platform, said handle means being offset from the geometrical center line of said grid platform toward the open side and open end of said Walking tool thereby to compensate for the unbalancing weight of the closing blades at said closed side and closed end.

6. The invention defined in claim 4 and (i) the angle of incline on the opposite faces of the blades being such as to force the concrete material confined within the pattern of said blades into the shape of individual bricks, tiles and cobblestones, and

8 to squeeze some moisture from the compacted portions of said concrete slab thereby to free partial moisture from the plastic slab and prevent adhering of the concrete to the sides of the blades.

5 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 460,821 10/1891 Gray 9445 967,714 8/1910 Blome et a1. 94-45 10 1,750,107 3/1930 Heltzel 9439 1,938,644 12/1933 Swanson 94-6 2,172,628 9/ 1939 Treuhaft 94-22 X CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Primary Examiner. 15 JACOB L. NACKENOFF, Assistant Examiner. 

